NFC Notes: Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers, Saints

Buccaneers

• ESPN’s Jenna Laine notes the assumption is that this is Buccaneers QB Tom Brady‘s final season but no one truly knows. He’s not under contract with Tampa Bay next season but if he wanted to play and wanted to do it with the Bucs for another season, Laine says the team would absolutely make it work. 
• Former Buccaneers HC Bruce Arians, who is still with the team in an advisory capacity, had to be hospitalized earlier this season for four days after being diagnosed with myocarditis. (Dan Pompei)
• He also talked about his role with the team, calling it a “unicorn” job where he tries to help where he can but mostly stays out of the way of HC Todd Bowles and the staff: “I’m there if Todd needs me, but he comes to me very seldom. It might be, ‘What do you think about the inactives this week?’ I don’t have to bite my tongue around here. There’s enough respect that I don’t have to. I’m in heaven right now. I have a unicorn job that nobody else has had. It’s kind of fun.” 

Falcons

• ESPN’s Michael Rothstein notes the Falcons will have a ton of financial flexibility this coming offseason for the first time in years and he expects them to use a chunk of that to extend G Chris Lindstrom, who will be entering the final year of his rookie deal in 2023 and will be due $13.2 million on the fifth-year option.  
• Falcons OL Chuma Edoga got first-team reps at left guard in Wednesday’s practice. (D. Orlando Ledbetter)
• Falcons CB AJ Terrell (hamstring) said his status for Week 11 is “in the air” and wants to test his injury in practice this week. (Rothstein)
• Terrell mentioned he re-aggravated his injury against the Bengals in Week 7.
• The Falcons worked out three defensive backs on Tuesday including Ben DeLuca, Devon Key and J.R. Reed. (Aaron Wilson)
• Of this group, Atlanta signed Key to their practice squad. 

Panthers

• Panthers’ interim HC Steve Wilks said S Jeremy Chinn‘s return from a hamstring injury is “still a work in progress.” (Joseph Person)
• Wilks would like to get QB Sam Darnold snaps in a game setting before naming him a starter. (David Newton)

Saints

• ESPN’s Field Yates reports the Chiefs, Saints and Seahawks also made waiver claims on new Texans RB Eno Benjamin. 
• ESPN’s Katherine Terrell writes the Saints will have a decision to make on WR Michael Thomas this offseason, as they can either roll the dice on his health again and keep him, likely with a restructure, or go ahead and cut him. She notes a release would be less about the savings and more about Thomas’ health. 
• According to Nick Underhill, the Saints are planning to continue starting QB Andy Dalton with Jameis Winston (back) still recovering and his health a factor in the decision. 
• Saints HC Dennis Allen confirmed Dalton will start Week 11. (Underhill)